Finding Balance

Jess sat on a bench near the track, untying her running shoes, her muscles still burning from the morning’s practice. It had been brutal—sprint drills, high jump repetitions, and throwing practice—but she had pushed through. She was good at this. But even as she cooled down, she could feel the weight of everything pressing on her. Between track, board game club, knitting, and her increasingly complicated personal life, she was stretching herself thin.

Kevin plopped down beside her, stretching out his legs. "So, are we ever going to talk about the big, awkward elephant in the room?"

Jess sighed, knowing exactly what he meant. "Yeah. We should."

Kevin leaned back against the bench, staring up at the sky. "Look, I didn’t mean to make things weird. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to tell you, but it just kind of… came out."

Jess studied him, choosing her words carefully. "You’re my best friend, Kevin. You’ve been there through everything. And I love you—just… not like that."

Kevin exhaled sharply, nodding. "Yeah, I figured."

"You and Hannah are great together," Jess continued. "And I don’t want to be the reason you mess that up."

Kevin smirked, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, Hannah’s great. I know that. I just… I think I got confused. It’s like, I almost lost you, Jess. And maybe part of me thought if I kept you close, if I felt something more, then you wouldn’t slip away."

Jess nudged him with her elbow. "I’m not going anywhere, Kev. You’re stuck with me."

He let out a small laugh. "That’s a terrifying thought."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the tension between them finally lifting. It wasn’t perfect, but at least now, it was understood.

********************************

That evening, Jess rushed from track practice to board game club, barely having time to change. She hadn’t even finished setting up her Malifaux pieces when she felt someone watching her.

"You’re pretty quick at picking this up," a voice said.

Jess looked up to see a tall, sharp-eyed girl leaning against the table. She recognized her—Emma, a fierce competitor both on the track and here, apparently.

"Thanks," Jess said cautiously.

Emma smirked. "You know, I saw you running today. Coach is really pushing you."

Jess frowned. "Yeah?"

"Because you’ve got potential," Emma said. "But potential isn’t enough. If you’re going to be serious about track, you can’t half-ass it. Board games, knitting—whatever else you’re doing—it’s just distractions."

Jess stiffened. "I can handle it."

Emma shrugged. "Maybe. But if you’re serious about competing, you’ll need to decide what really matters."

Jess watched as Emma moved on, but the words stuck with her. Was she spreading herself too thin? Was she trying to do too much?

She shook the thought off and turned back to her game. For now, she’d prove she could handle everything—track, clubs, friendships. But as she made her first move, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something would have to give soon.